Let's have dinner tonight
by Water-please
Summary: Ben invited her to dinner. D'uh. That's stating the obvious, no? But how will Kate weasel her way out of this fix? Creating an alternative way to get them together, no Justin.
1. Telling him No And Why

**Let's have dinner tonight**

**Summary**

Ben invited her to dinner. D'uh. That's stating the obvious, no? But how will Kate weasel her way out of this fix? Creating an alternative way to get them together, no Justin.

**Disclaimer**

Not mine? How dare you? Oh, because it belongs to someone else. Well, in that case…

**Rating T** for language and romantic scenes, no smut.

**Category **Romance/Humor

* * *

**Chapter 1 – Telling him No. And Why.**

„Let's have dinner tonight."

Kate was completely taken aback by Ben's words.

"Sorry, what?" she managed to squeak.

„Have dinner with me." He repeated. "You know, you and me in fancy clothes, in a tasteful restaurant, eating a delicious meal, sipping some very old wine – dinner."

His face was straight, not showing his inner turmoil and his fervent hope that she'd say yes. He needed her to say yes. After their kiss in the elevator, he couldn't even less stop thinking about her, about how she had felt in his arms, his lips on hers, and the tingling sensation in his stomach when her tongue had been coming out to play. He wanted more. Wanted her. So, dinner plans with Kate.

She took a deep breath. Her resolute '_No.'_ was on the tip of her tongue, but she didn't want to be rude.

"I'll think about it."

"Ok, let me know." He smiled, and with a light twinkle in his eyes, he turned to go into his office.

Kate stared after him, mind racing, heart pounding and wishing for an easy exit out of this.

* * *

She couldn't do this. She just couldn't. Whenever the thought of having dinner with him crossed her mind, her heart rate increased to a crazy speed, her palms were sweaty, and her mind got dizzy. Flight instincts kicked in. She knew she would bolt as soon as she saw him in a tux. And not because this sight would be gruesome, oh no. She knew with absolute clarity that Ben would look magnificent in a tux. She had proof that suits became him every single day, as it was. No, his looks were definitely not the problem.

No, it was the thought behind having dinner with that man - and how it would most probably end - that scared the living daylights out of her.

After that mind-blowing kiss they shared (and she couldn't deny that she had been in that kiss, too. A lot.) her mind, heart and body were all helter-skelter and upset. _'Aroused' would be more accurate_, a tiny voice inside her piped up. She shoved that voice aside, not wanting to deal with that particular thought right now.

Ok, she had to be frank with him. Not too blunt, but he was entitled to know why there was no way in hell that she'd **ever** agree to date him. Thing was, that he must **not, **under no circumstances, know the real reason - just the ones she admitted to herself.

So, she laid her plan.

* * *

"Ben, you got a minute?" Kate asked, sticking her head into his office.

He looked up from the paper he was reading, obviously pleased to see her so soon. "Sure. Made up your mind about this dinner with me?"

"Actually, I have", she replied hesitantly. "And I'd like to discuss it - my answer, that is - over lunch. Do you have plans?"

That was not the response he was hoping for, but still. If Kate was willing to go to lunch instead of dinner with him, that was fine by him. "No, we can go to lunch. Didn't intend to make a break, but I could do with some fresh air."

She nodded. "I'll pick you up around 12-ish." Almost out of his door, she turned again to face him. "Just FYI, this **not** a date." She added, just to be clear.

She saw his shoulders sagging for a second, his disappointment showing all over his face. She blinked, and it was gone, his features had resumed their indifferent mask, shoulders erect.

"OK, so what do you suggest?" he calmly asked.

"Let's go grab a hotdog." Kate turned, already heading for the elevator. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

* * *

Hotdogs in hand, they strolled to a nearby park.

"I can't go to dinner with you." She decided to use the band-aid approach: Rip it off as quickly as possible. Get it done.

"Why?"

"Because I'm a coward."

His surprise and confusion showed on his face, but she continued.

"As a mediator, I can be a lioness. No party too heavy to tackle, no case too complicated to find a solution to. But when it comes to relationships, I'm your biggest coward." She stated this in a quiet tone, not meeting his eyes. She tromped down the sound of her pulse hammering in her ears, fully aware of his warm body at her side.

She sighed.

"Look Ben, I know you're a great guy. And though I occasionally insult you, and tease you, I trust you. I really do. In all things connected with the firm, I know I can rely on you, utterly and completely.

"But I do not trust **anyone** with my heart."

He gave her a sideways look, and she immediately knew what he was thinking.

"Yes, I trusted Justin, and see where this got me. He still is my safe haven, somewhere to go to, and I know I'm always welcome, but we're not good for each other. He's a politician, and he needs someone at his side who is willing to support him wholeheartedly, not be another thorn in his side." He looked at her again, a slightly annoyed look on his face. He didn't want to discuss her ex-husband right now. "Erm back to the point, yes." She stumbled on saying.

"What I wanted to say is that… " she paused, not knowing how to proceed, and clearly nervous about it all.

"It's just dinner, Katie." Ben quietly put in.

"No, it's not!" Kate suddenly got angry. "It's not **just dinner**, and you know it. It's the beginning of **some**thing, and I don't know what that will be. I don't know what I want. I also don't know what **you** want, for that matter. Is it a meaningless flirt, aimed at a one-night-stand? That's definitely **not** what I want. Is it a relationship, like in a fairy tale, or – or - a soap opera on TV? I guarantee you, if that's what you want, you'll find me running fast as lightning." She was a bit out of breath after this speech. 'So much for not letting him know the real reason,' she thought sarcastically. He had a knack for her losing control, and that's what was scaring her as hell, too.

Ben sighed inwardly. How could she not see how he felt about her? He knew that Leo was already full in the picture, and he knew that he couldn't hide his feelings completely. She was good at reading people. He was good at reading her. And now, her eyes were full of one emotion – panic.

"Are you that afraid of me?" Ben inquired, trying to sound casual and curious, not hurt. Her words about a meaningless flirt had stung.

"No!" Kate said desperate, seeing how wrong her words had been taken. "I'm not afraid of you, it's -it - it's what's _between_ you and me that makes me lace my running shoes."

She sighed and rubbed her face with her free hand, trying to make him understand.

"It's just… I can't trust myself in this. If I'm sending mixed signals, that's because I'm full of mixed signals myself. My mind keeps telling me that this is a bad, bad idea, where both of us will get hurt, but the rest of my body insists on telling me a different story. I feel –"

She cut herself off, not willing to share with him, _him,_ of all people, how he made her feel. 'Nervous, excited, giddy in the head, blushed to the earlobes, butterflies in the belly. I'm pathetic.' she scolded herself, before continuing.

"I even can't trust my instincts, which work perfectly well in the conference room, but if it concerns you, I feel like the middle of a storm in a nutshell with no paddle. And that scares the shit of out me." 'I can as well tell him the full story,' she thought. 'What's the difference.'

"So you see, no matter which angle I look at this from, it's always a 'No'." she finished, glad to have had her say, and confident that he'd see the reason behind all this.

Except, he didn't.

"So, let me sum this up." He began, in full lawyer mode.

"You are scared, you don't know what to expect, and your brain - and body - are mush due to the effect my presence has on you. Sounds to me like you're already in this knee-deep, but too afraid to admit it to yourself." He quickly stated, not letting her interrupt him.

"If it's any comfort to you, I know how you feel. I am already putty in your hands, long before our kiss the other day." He continued in a conversational manner, banning all emotions out of his words, to keep her calm, despite the bombshells he was just dropping on her.

"In fact, every time I think of this kiss, I want to grab you again, and repeat the experience, 'cause I liked it very, very much." _'And to see if it's even better with increasing_ _practice_, he silently added. But he deemed it prudent to keep this particular thought hidden from her. At least for the time being.

"Yet I can also understand your scruples. You say you don't know me well enough to gauge my sincerity, and if that _something_ between us is as terrifying as you make it.

"But let me suggest this: We don't go to dinner, we don't date. But we will go to lunch each day, together, alone, and we talk. If we have to cancel lunch, we meet on Saturday and/or Sunday, to make up for the missed time. We get to know each other better, and see where that leads. Deal?"

It was his way in negotiations to demand as much as possible, for in the end, he could get even more than he thought possible at the start.

She was stunned by his off-hand statements about being all "putty", and "mush", and "lunch", and "kiss".

Eventually, she gathered enough brainpower to put up a response.

"Wait, no, that was not what I meant."

"Why? You got what you wanted. We don't go to dinner. We don't even date." Ben said, shrugging nonchalantly.

"Uh – ehrm… that was not my point! Don't twist my words in my mouth!"

"I'd much rather like to twist _my tongue_ in your mouth, but you've made it abundantly clear that this is a bit early for that, despite past evidence that we're really good at that. But let's ignore that pleasant thought for a moment - what is it that you want, Katie?"

_Katie…_ His use of an endearment of her name got her confused even more, if that was humanly possible. She stared at him for several moments (and 100.000 heart beats), open mouthed and on the verge of either grab and kiss him ('_YESYESYES_', the tiny voice piped up again), or to stomp on his foot, to make him LISTEN to her.

"Look." She started, having collected the last shreds of her self control, and somewhat exasperated, "I told you that I'm screwed up. I'm recently divorced, not over my ex-husband yet, and clearly not in the position to negotiate on non-dating terms."

A thought occurred to her, spurred on by her professional experience as a mediator. "Besides, do you really think this would be acceptable for me? I refuse **one** dinner, and in exchange you claim a good deal of my free time, to spend exclusively with you? Slow down, Buster!"

He looked at her with narrowed eyes. He had seen how flustered she was and had tried to take advantage of that. This was love, after all, and in love and war…. Well, he failed, so he had to find another way to her heart. Her words at their first encounter came back to him. '_No strategy, no foreplay, no negotiation. Just be who you are and take me…_'

OK, he could do that.

So he suddenly stopped walking, took her food out of her hands, and tossed it together with his into a nearby bin. Before she could protest, he turned to her, wrapped his arms around her tiny frame and pressed his lips on hers. Every fiber in his body rejoiced at the renewed contact. He didn't know how much he had missed her touch until now, as he felt her soft lips against his. When he felt her melt in his arms, and her tongue slid out to meet his, he welcomed the familiar sensation of his tingling stomach, but couldn't help but smile against her lips.

'She had onions on her hotdog, the little minx.' He was sure that she did that deliberately. Nonetheless, he kept kissing her, wrapping his arms tighter around her, let one arm wander upwards, into her hair, to her cheek, stroking her tenderly, and deepened the kiss even more, trying to convey the sincerity of his feelings towards her, being gentle and passionate at the same time.

When they finally parted, she took a few moments to open her eyes, clearly needing some time to collect her thoughts (which had flown right of her head the second he kissed her).

"OK, lunch once a week, but nothing fancy, and no weekend postponement. That's my offer." She conceded.

"I'll take it, Katie. I'll take anything you are willing to give me," an equally perturbed Ben answered. He just got promised by Kate that she was willing to let him in, and he intended to use his chance to the maximum.

And he knew, that when she finally would accept him, he would never let her go.

**A/N: My take and try with another fandom. This story is not beta'd, so all mistakes are mine. **

**Please let me know your thoughts.**


	2. Rule 1: Always wear a shirt!

**Disclaimer **Just checked. Nope, not mine.

**Rating T** for language and romantic scenes, no smut.

**Category **Romance/Humor

* * *

**Chapter 2: Rule 1: Always wear a shirt!**

_"I'll take it, Katie. I'll take anything you are willing to give me."_

Kate was back at her office, contemplating the most recent encounter with Ben, feeling extremely cranky and fiddling with her plushy pink pen. What had she done? - "A huuuuuuuge mistake!" she whispered to her pen, blowing a raspberry for good measure.

Or was it a mistake? She agreed to meet with _him_ on a regular basis, apart from work, under "no-date" conditions – but who was she kidding? This tasted a lot like dating, and only her kiss-befuddled brain was to blame that she ever agreed to this crazy idea of his.

Once again, kissing Ben… Her eyes got dreamy at the memory of the jolts going through her body. Oh yes, she had enjoyed kissing and being kissed by him. Very much so. And she _did_ kiss him back. Fervently. Again. Like in the elevator (or in front of, technically).

It had felt so, _so_ good! She wanted to do it again. - She choked at that thought. On the other end of that mouth was none other than Ben Grogan! He was a complete mystery to her, and he - and - he- he was making things worse, he had said so himself, aaaaannnd – _why_ the heck was he doing that to her? Kate grunted, shifting in her chair.

But his kisses had tasted soooooo yummy… _(She wanted more.)_

Kate put her head in her hands. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Ben felt rather smug with himself. All he had wanted was **one** dinner with Kate, but instead he would be spending a lot of quality time with her, and with the possibility of seeing her also on weekends. This would be easy to achieve. Five days in a row actively _avoiding_ lunch with her would have its drawbacks, but he'd be rewarded with a whole day with her, instead of only some half an hour at midday.

The more he thought about this outcome, the more he liked it. Yes, he would be making the most of his time with her, impressing her, and sweeping her off her feet. Not a sudden onslaught, which would send her running, but sublimely, with finesse and delicacy.

Katherine Reed may be a fortress, but Benedict Yancy Grogan fully intended to be a knight in shining armor and take that fortress.

* * *

"First rule: Always wear a shirt!" she almost yelled at him, when they met shortly later at the coffee bar.

Ben had expected her to lay down rules, and some precise ones at that. Something in the lines of "No funny business", "No expensive gifts", or that sort of thing. Him to be obliged to wear clothes at all times _(and why did she think of him being naked, anyway?) _surprised and intrigued him, to say the least.

"Why?"

Kate cursed herself. She hadn't intended to be that blunt (or for the whole office to hear, for that matter), but this "rule" had blurted out of her, images of him shirtless (and her strong reactions to it, though she had tried to hide them from him) overriding her speech filter, and thus leading to a slightly awkward situation.

"Because I think that shirts suit you." She clarified, trying to sound aloof while pouring some milk in her coffee. She was proud that her hands weren't shaking. '_Ha, take that, Ben Grogan_. _You have no effect on me._'

"So you think I'm handsome?" Ben asked rather pleased.

"No, I just don't want to be arrested due to _indecent_ exposure." Kate shot back.

He stepped closer to her, bringing his lips to the side of her head, whispering softly in his best bedroom voice into her ear, careful to let his breath tickle her earlobe, his lips only a fraction of an inch away from her skin.

"Believe me, Katie, if I was shirtless with you around, it would **not** be in public. In fact, it would be _very_ private, just you and me. Nobody would see where my hands touched your body, which would be as devoid of clothes as mine, and yes, I _would_ do some indecent things to you. Just so you know."

He felt her shudder at his words, and he couldn't decide which pleased him more: That he could elicit such a strong reaction from her, only by being close, or that she obviously thought his naked chest could have some power over her which she sought to avoid. Well, he stored this particular information away for later, and continued talking to her, this time with an appropriate distance, voice back to normal.

"OK, got it, never be shirtless. Can do that." – '_For the time being, at least'_, he added silently. "Only, of course, if we'd go swimming, or sun bathing. Then, me wearing a shirt would look a bit silly, and we'd have to reconsider. But I'm sure you're more than capable of procuring a perfect solution, somewhere in the middle. You're the master at that, after all." Ben beamed at her.

Kate stood, immobile. When he was so close to her, her mind seemed to shut down, and she could hardly refrain from grabbing him by the lapels of his expensive suit and kiss him senseless. Kate took a deep breath and was trying to decide the second time this morning if she should strangle him, or kiss him, or both.

'Ewwww!' she corrected herself inwardly. 'Better do that in the correct order, hun.'

"OK, Ben, you know what?" she said aloud. "If you're so clever, then we will definitely NOT go swimming. Everything is ruled out where we're obliged to shed our clothing. Got that?"

She'd have liked to be more eloquent, but her brainpower still wasn't fully restored yet, so she'd have to settle for a feeble rebuke.

Ben sensed her fleeting moment of lowered defenses and decided to make full use of his advantage. "You think I need to be naked to seduce you? Interesting thought, Katie, but I assure you, clothes will not be our issue. From what I can see, it suffices when I get into your personal space. And I admit, as much as I enjoy your sight from afar, the sight of you with flushed cheeks, dilated pupils and increased heart rate is much more - how do I put it? - _satisfying_ at close distance." His grin was charming, but in his eyes she perceived a predatory glint which made her struggle again to keep her balance.

'How the hell does he know my heart is racing? Am I unknowingly attached to a ECG device?' Kate couldn't stop this rather ridiculous thought.

Blushing furiously, she wanted to set him straight, stop playing games with her, when another thought crossed her mind, and she smiled wickedly.

'Enjoying rattling my tree, are you Ben?' she thought. 'Well, two can play that game.'

She put her coffee cup aside, and moved closer to him, hips swaying, and bringing her chest close his body, carefully brushing her dress against the sleeve of his suit.

"Well, Ben" she purred. "If it's closeness what you're craving, I can certainly help you with that." She let her hand wander upwards, played with the button of his shirt, pressed her chest even tighter against him, and -

"Still stirring your coffee? Must be mighty cold already." Lauren's cool, crisp voice interrupted their little banter.

They both flew apart, blushing some (Ben) and some more (Kate), coffee cups carefully balanced (or grabbed first, respectively) and held as a shield against the party pooper, aka the Principal Lauren McKeenan Reed.

She stepped past them, getting herself a cup, and pouring in coffee and milk with determined, purposeful movements. In a low voice, she murmured out of the corner of her mouth, only for the two of them to hear.

"Whatever is going on here - in plain sight of everyone, I might add! - stop it. You both are partners in the firm, with all rights and privileges, but also with the obligation to set an example for good behavior. I will **not** have any of you charged with sexual harassment, from whomever. So cut it. Or get a room."

With that, she turned around and strode directly back to her office.

'Really' she scoffed. 'Are we at a Kindergarten here?!' She sighed and whished for the umpteenth time to have Teddy back.

At the coffee bar, Kate and Ben smiled sheepishly at each other, before each of them grasped their coffee cups tighter, and vanished in their respective offices.

* * *

**A/N: That's it for Ch 2. I have some ideas to continue the story, let them dance around each other a little bit more, throw in some Justin for good measure - there are some scenes swirling around in my head. J**

**Just so I don't commit any character blunder: Is there any mention of Ben's parents (still alive?) or siblings (are there any?)? Would be a huge help, Thank you in advance!**


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